The 50 Greatest Video Game Villains Of All Time
By Matt Becker
Greatest Video Game Villains – #17 Handsome Jack
Game(s): Borderlands 2, Tales from the Borderlands
Background: The snarky, articulate, and clever Handsome Jack is the main antagonist and self-proclaimed dictator of Borderlands 2‘s Pandora. This mask wearing egomaniac took control over the Hyperion Corporation and took all of the credit for the Vault Hunter’s achievement in the first Borderlands game, including killing the huge alien boss The Destroyer and finding The Vault. In the second game in the series, a new group of Vault Hunters are tasked with killing Jack and restoring peace to Pandora. Jack even went so far as to imprison his own daughter inside the Control Core Angel so he could take control of the ECHOnet system. He lives in an always visible satellite in the shape of an H, akin to the Death Star from Star Wars.
Why He’s One Of The Greatest Video Game Villains: Like a lot of classic villains, Handsome Jack loves to constantly berate the player and narrate their inevitable failure to stop him. His well-spoken manner is almost charming in a way, but there is no mistaking that he is truly evil. Jack is a manipulative killer with no regard for any life but his own. His control over Hyperion gives him unlimited resources and making him a formidable opponent. His personality starts off almost humorous as he thinks the player irrelevant to his empire, but begins to grow vengeful and spiteful as the story progresses. Jack’s constant presence and never ending quips throughout the game makes his eventual demise all the more fulfilling.
Next: 16- SHODAN